North Korea warns NATO of ‘tragic consequences’ after Russia criticises

North Korea rejected NATO’s criticism of its cooperation with Russia and threatened the alliance with “tragic consequences,” the country’s foreign ministry said on October 6.

In a statement last week, NATO accused North Korea and Iran of “fueling” the war against Ukraine by supplying Russia with missiles, shells and drones.

“NATO has issued a series of extremely unreasonable comments in its recent statement condemning… the independent cooperative relations between sovereign states, including the DPRK,” the statement said.

DPRK is North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“If NATO continues to work hard to violate the dignity, sovereignty, security and interests of the DPRK… NATO, which blindly follows the US, will bear full responsibility for the tragic consequences this brings,” she added added.

North Korea may have begun supplying Russia with artillery shells as early as mid-2022 to help it maintain its offensive in Ukraine. Moscow’s military strategy requires large quantities of artillery shells to be fired to destroy enemy positions or prepare ground attacks.

Larger deliveries of ammunition were confirmed by US and South Korean intelligence services in October 2023 after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The deliveries of artillery shells were followed by ballistic missiles, both of which were used against Ukraine.

Although Russia is increasing its domestic production, it still lacks the capacity to maintain these reservoirs on its own. North Korean deliveries are helping to bridge the time until their factories are up and running.

Half of all artillery shells Russia uses in Ukraine are supplied by North Korea, The Times reported Oct. 4, citing Western intelligence sources.

The two countries also signed a mutual defense pact during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang earlier this year.